View full sizeJim and Anne Brown opened Savory Spice Shop in September and found a receptive customer base.Eric Mortenson/The Oregonian

A shop that sells only herbs and spices? That's crazy, isn't it? How often does anyone buy spices? Why, that can of curry powder has been in the drawer for three years and...

Oh. That's why it has no taste.

Jim and Anne Brown are betting -- successfully, so far -- that Portland's foodies want something better. And they want it understandable, accessible and affordable.

In September, the Browns opened the Savory Spice Shop in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood. Customers ranging from nervous novice cooks to exacting home chefs have found the place, much to the Brown's delight.

The shop is the first Savory Spice franchise in the Portland area -- Oregon's first opened in Bend -- and one of 23 nationally. The franchise headquarters in Denver does the grinding and blending for its chain of stores.

Stepping inside is daunting -- with the powerful aroma and hundreds of jars to examine -- but the Browns and their six part-time employees are more than happy to take customers on a savory tour of salts, curries, herbs and various mixes, blends and rubs.

Anne Brown says some customers come in knowing exactly what they want -- Portlanders are especially knowledgeable about curries, she and her husband say -- but others are eager to look and learn.

"Our customers are very creative," she says. "They come in to get ideas and to expand what they're doing (in the kitchen)."

The best part? Each selection is accompanied by a small "taster" bottle. Sprinkle some on your palm and try a taste. It's fair to say you haven't lived until you've tried truffle-infused salt.

But wait, that salt costs $9 an ounce, and saffron is so precious it sells for $11 a gram. (Conversion hint: there are 28 grams in an ounce) Who can afford that?

Not to worry. The shop sells in very small batches, down to a gram of saffron, if the customer prefers. Half-ounce sales are common, too. "You don't have to make a four-ounce jar commitment," as Anne Brown puts it.

Each franchise features regional blends, and the Sellwood shop carries a pair of meat and poultry rubs: Mount Hood Toasted Onion and Oregon Trail Juniper Berry Spice. Both sold well during the holiday gift-buying season, Jim Brown says.

"We want to be the spice cupboard for anybody living in the Portland area," he says.